As mentioned in one of our posts from late November, the holiday season can be crushing for trans people, who many times have had strained relationships with their families and been subject to messages of loneliness that are amplified during the Season of Sharing. Fortunately, in the social sparseness for trans communities during the COVID pandemic, an event has continued to grow and plans on bringing some connectivity and warmth to the upcoming month.

From Benedetti’s Instagram, the e-invite for the Trans Winter Wonderland 2020 holiday event.

Trans Winter Wonderland was originally started by Li Benedetti in London in 2019. The event is for trans young adults (ages 18 to 30) to celebrate the end of the year together. Yesterday, Benedetti announced Trans Winter Wonderland 2020, an online event that still promises festivity and fun–for free! This year, Trans Winter Wonderland is on December 19th at 3pm GMT (or 9am in Minnesota). Spots (and bandwidth) are limited, however, so trans people interested in the event need to RSVP ASAP. You can RSVP through Google Forms here or through the link in Benedetti’s Instagram bio.

For those looking for more local events during December, the Minnesota Transgender Alliance will continue to hold their cozy meetings for trans Minnesotans over the month, particularly in Anoka, Minneapolis, and St. Paul. While they held meet and greets in St. Cloud before the pandemic, many St. Cloud trans folk would also go to the Anoka meeting and do still virtually. Check the calendar on the website for more information about times, locations, and Zoom links.

With Hanukkah starting next week, and Christmas and Kwanzaa only three weeks away, the pressure of the season is upon all of us. Encourage your trans friends to reach out to these resources if their families–or you and yours–can’t.